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Extreme weather becoming more common, study says

The Guardian - Tue, 2014-08-12 06:59

Rise in blocking-patterns – hot or wet weather remaining stuck over regions for weeks – causing frequent heatwaves or floods

Extreme weather like the drought currently scorching the western US and the devastating floods in Pakistan in 2010 is becoming much more common, according to new scientific research.

The work shows so-called “blocking patterns”, where hot or wet weather remains stuck over a region for weeks causing heatwaves or floods, have more than doubled in summers over the last decade. The new study may also demonstrate a link between the UK’s recent flood-drenched winter and climate change.

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Sales of shark fin in China drop by up to 70% | Jennifer Duggan

The Guardian - Fri, 2014-08-08 02:24

Traditionally a symbol of wealth and luxury, public attitidues towards shark fin are changing in China, according to a new report

A popular dish at weddings and banquets in China, shark fin soup is increasingly off the menu due to a government frugality drive and awareness campaigns and by conservationists, according to a new report.

The trade in shark fins, a symbol of wealth in China and other parts of Asia, has led to the decline in some shark populations by up to 98% in the last 15 years. An estimated 100 million sharks are killed each year with up to 73 million used for their fins.

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China: coal mine impact on Yellow river upper basin – in pictures

The Guardian - Thu, 2014-08-07 11:00

Muli coalfield is illegally gobbling up a nature reserve, blasting away alpine meadows and destroying the ecosystem of the country’s second largest river, Greenpeace investigation shows

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Eat more meat and save the world: the latest implausible farming miracle | George Monbiot

The Guardian - Mon, 2014-08-04 21:24

Allan Savory tells us that increasing livestock can reduce desertification and reverse climate change – but where is the scientific evidence?

It doesn’t matter how often miracles are disproved; our willingness to believe in them remains undiminished. Miracle cures, miracle crops, miracle fuels, miracle financial instruments, miracle profits: the continued enthusiasm for these claims reflects the triumph of hope over experience.

Here’s another one: a miracle technique that allows us to reconcile our insatiable demand for meat with the need to protect the living planet. Better still, it proposes, eating meat could actually save the biosphere. A TED talk which makes this claim has been viewed 2.6m times.

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Proposed variation to the Ambient Air Quality NEPM

Department of the Environment - Thu, 2014-07-31 11:00
An Impact Statement, which evaluates the environmental, social and economic costs and benefits of meeting proposed standards for airborne particles, and a draft varied Ambient Air Quality NEPM is now open for public comment.
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Improved compliance and enforcement activities under national environmental law

Department of the Environment - Tue, 2014-07-29 10:58
The Department has recently implemented major changes its compliance and enforcement activities under national environmental law. These changes mean we are a better regulator and can provide better protection for Australia’s environment and...
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Three new species listed as critically endangered

Department of the Environment - Mon, 2014-07-28 14:22
Corunastylis insignis (Wyong midge orchid 1), Corunastylis sp. Charmhaven (NSW 896673) (Wyong midge orchid 2) and Thelymitra adorata (Wyong sun orchid) listed as critically endangered under the EPBC Act effective 19 July 2014.
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Carmichael Coal Mine project

Department of the Environment - Mon, 2014-07-28 09:30
The Minister for the Environment has approved the Carmichael Coal Mine and Rail Infrastructure project, subject to 36 strict conditions.
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Draft National Recovery Plan for the Orange-bellied Parrot, Neophema chrysogaster

Department of the Environment - Fri, 2014-07-25 17:33
Draft National Recovery Plan for the Orange-bellied Parrot, Neophema chrysogaster open for public comment. The consultation period closes 7 November 2014.
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Commonwealth environmental water annual water use options 2014-15 are now available

Department of the Environment - Thu, 2014-07-24 09:37
These documents are now available. The Commonwealth Environmental Water Office welcomes information from the community on how environmental water can best be managed including further suggestions on the water use options.
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Don't miss out on the SENG Qld dinner with Richard Denniss 6 August

Newsletters QLD - Tue, 2014-07-22 18:15
Don't miss out on the SENG Qld dinner with Richard Denniss 6 August
Categories: Newsletters QLD

Giving up beef will reduce carbon footprint more than cars, says expert

The Guardian - Tue, 2014-07-22 07:00

Study shows red meat dwarfs others for environmental impact, using 28 times more land and 11 times water for pork or chicken

Beef’s environmental impact dwarfs that of other meat including chicken and pork, new research reveals, with one expert saying that eating less red meat would be a better way for people to cut carbon emissions than giving up their cars.

The heavy impact on the environment of meat production was known but the research shows a new scale and scope of damage, particularly for beef. The popular red meat requires 28 times more land to produce than pork or chicken, 11 times more water and results in five times more climate-warming emissions. When compared to staples like potatoes, wheat, and rice, the impact of beef per calorie is even more extreme, requiring 160 times more land and producing 11 times more greenhouse gases.

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SENG Victoria News - July 2014

Newsletters VIC - Mon, 2014-07-21 18:45
SENG Victoria News - July 2014
Categories: Newsletters VIC

National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme - Outcomes 2012-13

Department of the Environment - Mon, 2014-07-21 14:12
National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme - Outcomes 2012-13
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Approved co-regulatory arrangement annual reports

Department of the Environment - Mon, 2014-07-21 13:29
Approved co-regulatory arrangements annual reports for 2012-13 now available
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Groundwater Purchase Tender in the Central Condamine Alluvium

Department of the Environment - Fri, 2014-07-18 14:25
Applications close 5.00 pm AEST Thursday 14 August 2014.
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Public consultation: draft assessment bilateral agreement between the Commonwealth and Tasmania

Department of the Environment - Fri, 2014-07-18 08:38
The Department is seeking public comment on a draft assessment bilateral agreement with Tasmania. Comments close 15 August 2014
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Cheetah smuggling driving wild population to extinction, report says

The Guardian - Wed, 2014-07-16 03:39

Rising demand for luxury pets in the Gulf states taking gruesome toll as two-thirds of snatched cubs are dying en route

The rising trade in cheetahs for luxury pets in the Middle East is helping to drive critical populations of the wild cats to extinction, according to new research. The report also reveals the gruesome toll of the trade, with up to two-thirds of the cheetah cubs being smuggled across the war-torn Horn of Africa dying en route. However, the nations at both ends of the trade have now agreed that urgent action is needed.

Cheetahs, famous as the world’s fastest land animal, have lost about 90% of their population over the last century as their huge ranges in Africa and Asia have been taken over by farmland. Fewer than 10,000 remain and numbers are falling. There is an ancient tradition of using trained cheetahs as royal hunting animals in Africa but, more recently, a growing demand for status-symbol pets in the Gulf states has further reduced populations.

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Clear differences between organic and non-organic food, study finds

The Guardian - Fri, 2014-07-11 22:57
Research is first to find wide-ranging differences between organic and conventional fruits, vegetables and cereals

Organic food has more of the antioxidant compounds linked to better health than regular food, and lower levels of toxic metals and pesticides, according to the most comprehensive scientific analysis to date.

The international team behind the work suggests that switching to organic fruit and vegetables could give the same benefits as adding one or two portions of the recommended "five a day".

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KiWi Power: the tech-savvy energy firm with a way out of Britain's power crisis

The Guardian - Tue, 2014-07-08 05:25
Laptop-sized product monitors customer's energy usage and can cut it off in times of high demand – and the client gets paid for it

A small iron gate squeezed between a newsagent and printing shop off Carnaby Street in central London is not the obvious location for a business that could avert a British power crunch.

Step inside the cramped, white-painted offices of KiWi Power and it looks more like a tech startup than an energy business – as exemplified by the open shirt and beaded necklace sported by co-founder Ziko Abram.

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